Honeycomb frame support and spacer



Aug. 3, 1948.

x. A. s'roLLER 2,446,346

HoNEYooMB FRAME SUPPORT AND .SPACER Filed Feb. 14, 1944 g"``"u 3`" /2\ "n" M/i /3-*2` ./l INvi-:Nron

lRveN A. STOLLER ATTO RNEY VvPatented Aug. 3, 1948 in the associated supers, 'and sol supported thatv Ztheycan 5be'easlyremoved andreplacedaccurately p 'in position porting device 'which 'may be inexpensively made "from sheet metal presenting upwardly disposed frame centering "and `supporting edges of 'such 'characterthat 'the 'beeswill :be unlikely to V`fasten the frames thereto with wax or propolis in a manner to render removal of the frames from the supers diicult.

A further object is to provide a honeycomb :frame spacer which can be readily demountably associated with known types of hive supers, in order to convert them quickly from effective brood supers to effective honey supers; and concomitantly to provide a slip-on spacer device for hive supers provided with fixed metal frame rests.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an upper corner portion of a super, an end portion of the preferred form of frame support and spacer device adapted for use in conjunction with a metal end frame rest f known form, shown mounted on the super.

Fig. 2 is a transverse fragmentary sectional view through a frame supporting upper portion of the super in accordance with Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a side View of an end portion of said device in mounted position on a metal frame rest, the view being taken as indicated at 3--3 in Fig. 2.

The invention as illustrated herewith is adapted for so-called honey supers of bee hives having the usual arrangement of end and side walls. A portion of one such end wall is shown 4at l and a portion of an adjoining side wall at 2. The end Wall as u-sual near its upper margin is cut away to provide a horizontal relatively narrow step 'l upwardly beyond which the reduced thickness flange portion 8 extends flush with the top surface of the side wall 2.

The portion of a honeycomb frame illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a short section of the top frame bar 3 and a portion of an end frame 4 fitted to the top frame bar at 5 in the usual manner, and beyond which the usual reduced width projection 6 extends for supporting contact with the step or ledge l o-r a frame rest member associated y"therewi'th'. `As 'a -rcommon* "example 'o'f a frame resa a -generally 'reshaped lsheet metal strip fis shown 'having 'an upright :portion lill, 'vertical attaching flange portion "|12,^and*a 'horizontal attaciiing lange `portion 'll -rrI-'he marginal iflanges 1N and I sr'e'fsecured I-to the A"adiacent portions of the end wall I by suitable fastenersiasjindicated at r3. Ione such 'metal 'frame rest would, 'of course, `-be provided 'at each "entljof i'the super. The reduced extensions 6 of 'the tfop fram-e bars 'ii would ordinarily rest "on the rounded upwardly disposed ltop surfaces presented Jby the fdoubl'ed "portion-sill) of the 'frar'ne restSfSo-thatthe profor enabling the framestothe-'easily"pickediup When using such frame rest-s, it is difficult to place the comb frames uniform distances apart in the super and even when carefully placed they frequently get out of position through handling of the supers.

The larger spacing distance required in the case of honey supers as compared to brood supers makes proper spacing by hand unusually difficult in honey supers. In the honey supers the frames should be positioned a greater distance apart as by using eight frames per super instead of the nine or ten frames customarily used for brood. With such Wider but uniform spacing the bees build the honey storage cells of uniform length and approximately balanced on each side of the comb foundation because of having mo-re adequate room in which to work. In addition to the danger of displacing the frames by handling of the supers, there is also the likelihood of moving them out of place along the rest portions I0 by burr comb remnants on the under sides of the lids during application thereof to the supers. The rounded ledges provided by the doubled portions ll of the frame rests, in addition to aording skidding surfaces on which the frames are apt to move out of place crosswise of the super, also enhance movement of the frames lengthwise thereof, so that the projections 6 frequently abut one or the other of the inner walls of the ange portions 8. If the super becomes jogged endwise of the frames after placement of the frames on the metal end rests and closing the cover, the bees are apt to fasten all of the projections 6 at one end of the super to the inner faces of the super wall portions 8, making the frames difficult to remove.

The frame rest spacers 20 hereof in the particular form shown t tightly over the upstanding l portions of an open connecting fold 23 at the top to provide uniformly spaced trapezial projections 24, the endmost ones of which (24a, one shown) are of somewhat different form. The notches .for

receiving the top bar extensions Gas illustrated particularly by Fig. 3 are cut from the sheet metal blank before it is folded into the form shown, providing spaced apart narrow horizontal edges 29 l for engagement with the under surfaces 32 of l the extensions 6 and upwardly diverging paired l e side edges 28 for guidingthe frame bar extensions into place. The paired ledge surfaces 29 are preferably at a slightly higher elevation than the top ,l folded edgeof the associated lmetal rest as ex- K :hibited in Fig, 2. I g The device constitutes a slip-on spacer arrangement for extractor typey honeycomb frames by `vinrliioh hive boxes ordinarily used as brood supers can be converted almost instantly into honey su- :fpers with provision for denitely maintaining proper spacing and maintenance of the frames in position against being shifted out of place either crosswise or lengthwise.

in position by frictional Reference is directed to my co-pending application Serial No. 657,999 led March 29, 1946, as a continuation hereof showing another but similar form of spacer and the preferred method of making it.

I claim:

The combination with a honey super having an inner step and a narrow flange projecting upwardlyfrom the horizontal surface of the step tospace the overhangingend portions of a plurality of upper frame bars from said horizontal surface, of a spacer device having upwardly facing notches for Vengaging the sides of respective frame bars and downwardly extending generally ,parallel spring anges adapted to slip over the upwardly projecting iiange to hold the spacer device contact with said ange.

IRVIN A. STOILER.

REFERENCES CITED Ther'following references arev of record in the file of this patent.:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 327,716 Pearson Oct. 6, 1885 519,652 Taylor May 8, 1894 606,152 Jones June 21, 1898 1,348,925 Baxter Aug. 10, 1920 1,370,775 Bacon Mar. 8, 1921 1,782,202 Frater Nov. 18, 1930 2,090,042 Hasselbach Aug.k 17, 1937 

